The removal of the Election Assistance Commission’s remaining commissioners is deeply concerning and should alarm anyone who cares about the integrity of our election system.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission was created by Congress as an independent, bipartisan body to strengthen the administration of our nation’s elections. It is not a peripheral agency or an advisory body operating on the margins of government. It sits at the heart of our election infrastructure, helping certify voting systems, maintain the federal voter registration form, distribute federal election funding, and provide guidance and resources to the state and local officials responsible for administering elections.
Congress designed the commission to operate on a bipartisan basis for a reason. The administration of elections demands public trust, and public trust depends on institutions that are stable, independent, and insulated from political swings. The commission’s bipartisan structure was never incidental; it was a deliberate safeguard built into our democratic system.
That is why the timing of these departures is so troubling. Election officials across the country are already preparing for the 2026 midterm elections. Planning is underway, election officials are updating voting systems where needed, federal and state resources are being allocated, absentee voting preparations are beginning so that ballots can go out by mid-September, 45 days ahead of November 3rd as required by law, and communities are gearing up for one of the most fundamental exercises of self-government. Removing every sitting commissioner from the nation’s only federal election administration commission at such a consequential moment creates uncertainty where confidence is needed most.
This is bigger than any one administration or any one election. Americans deserve confidence that the institutions supporting our elections are functioning as Congress intended, with bipartisan leadership, transparency, stability, and a clear focus on serving voters and the election officials who make our democracy work.
We are also grateful for the public service of the commissioners themselves. Across administrations of both parties, they have worked to strengthen election administration, support local election officials, and improve the systems that millions of Americans rely on every election cycle. Their service deserves recognition and thanks. Specifically, we shout out the most recent EAC Commissioners Thomas Hicks, Benjamin Hovland, Christy McCormick, and Donald Palmer for their service to nonpartisan and successful elections. Their combined work, and the work of Ms. McCormick, Mr. Hovland, and Mr. Palmer who have served on the Steering Committee for National Voter Registration Day, the nation’s largest nonpartisan day of civic action for voter registration, has been fundamental to the success of nonpartisan civic engagement nationwide.
At a time when confidence in our democratic institutions is already under strain, preserving the independence and full functioning of the Election Assistance Commission should be a shared national priority. Our democracy depends on the strength, stability, and credibility of the institutions that make our elections possible.
